Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-01-04
AN OLD BOOK WORM.
WHAT HE FINDS ~ A BOOK BE-
SIDE THE LETTER PRESS.

Fortus- in Fine Boo,1s-Iayish Expend-
itures to Illustrate Modern Literature.
Nhat Scw York Publishers Pay for
Ensrayings and Printing.
He was such queer-lookirg old gentleman
that the writer paused in his walk to examine
him moro closely, EIe WAS standing in the
doorway of one of those iimly lighted book
stores which line Nassau street, between Full
ton and Ann, eagerly scanning the pages of a
hoary volume through his old-fashioned gold
spectacles His wide-awake straw hat had
drifted back to the apex of his crown, and
had anchored itself permanently among the
struggling strands of snowy hair which
caresSed the frayed collar of his alpaca coat
His white waiStcoat was unbuttoned and the
ends of the black silk handkerchief which
served him in lieu Of necktie briStled de
family
a have just made an astounding discovery,
sir, remarked the old gentleman. Have the
kindness 10 look at this book and tell me what
you think of it"
1t was one of set of four volumes of the
works of Pliny the Younger, published in
Suasbourg in 1910. The typo was good and
the book was in far condition. The binding
was vellUm, and four tiny strings Of shcepskin
hung from the corners. il order that the
reader might tie the volume u securely when
he was done with it. Thousands Of Just such
books may he sen any day exposed for sale
on the quavs at Paris. They are the out
scourings of the early French and German
printing houses, and can ha purchased for a
few francs. The writer did rot see ANYTHING
extraordinary about the book and be said so
frankly.
BESIDE THE LETTER PRESS.
Then the old gentleman rhuckled. There
Is something in . book beside the letter pres,
the printers name and the date he said.
See here,7 and with that he gingerly lifted
up the edge of the vclum binding and ex-
posed the fragments of two or three sentences
inscribed upon it in black letter, with here
and there an Illuminated capital rich in ara
besque and gliding.
THAT" declared the old gentleman, with
an air of triumph, after surveying the Grabbed
scrawl critically for a few moments, twas
originally missal Transcribed with laborious
care by some Twelfth century monk in the
Vi liI 81 Httl ltill4 VI u
cloister The old fellow probably took four
or five years to complete it
Il tell YOU there was some chance of man
writing book that was fit to read when be
knew beforehand that it would take four or
five months to complete every single copy
that was exposed for sale.
There have been great changes in the pub
fishing business since / gave it up" be re
marked with quaver in his voice, changes
to my mind for the better. One of my chief
objections to printing used to be that it did
away with all that was beautiful in books
What can compare in heauty with the Tenth
century missal. The gospels inscribed in sill
yer and gold letters on purple vellum; every
capital a flower garden, and the very margin
glorious with parti-colored figures Of men
birds, beasts and fishes. Shn, this objection
Of mine is slowly melting away. You see, in
my day the books we printed never had any
Illustrations to speak of. \ few wood cuts
perhaps, and more rarely a steel line engrav
ing, and that was all
CHANGE IN EOOKMAEING.
The old gentleman was right; thirty years
has wrought a marvellous change in book
making. Photogravure and the wonderful
Ives process, by which a fac-simile plate 1.
produced directly from the object, have com,
to the publishers aid. Etching has taken the
place of the old steel line engraving to a Ger
tain extent, and probably there are not one
tenth as many steel engravings produced an
nually now as there were ten years ago. Only
last year an art critic wrote that the people
who prefer line engravings to etchings alS
the same people who prefer white marble
mantels and horSehair furniture to carved
oak and velvet plush. Fifty processes exist
to-day where there were but one or two be
fore, and if their development equals theil
promise the book of the future Will indeed be
marvellous production.
One would naturally suppose that the in
creased facilities afforded by these multitude
nous processes would minimize the cost Of
preparing q book for the market; but such j,
not the case. Each publisher vies with hi,
competitors in making the work upon which
he is for the moment engaged as elaborate al
possible. Where formerly few simple wood
cuts were deemed all that were necessary b,
now presents the reader with half dozer
etchings or engravinGs, and thus he is called
upon TO eKpend an almost incredible sum be
fore any return is obtained. George p. Put
nam, the father of the present publisher, is
sued an artists edition of Washington Irvingi
sketch Book in 1867. 1t contained 132 illus
trations. all wood cuts. and Mr.. Putnam paif
out S25, 900 before he got back one cent II
those days this was considered fabulous sun
to invest IN one work, and the number of en-
cravings contained within the covers of th'
sketch book We're the wonder and admiration
of the other bookmalersl
The labor of preparing these volumes fo
publication extended over two entire years
1t was begun in the latter part of 1864, anC
the first copies were not issued from the pres
until 1857. This work pales into insignifi
canoe before the princely fortunes investet
each year in new books by the publishers o
to-day.-New York Star.